Configuration Classes

Configuration Classes

InitPHP\Config\Classes is an abstract base class that turns a subclass's properties into a configuration tree. It is the most natural fit for configuration that ships with your application as code — typed, discoverable, and version-controlled alongside the rest of your source.

Defining a config class

Extend Classes and declare your configuration as properties with default values:

use InitPHP\Config\Classes;

final class AppConfig extends Classes
{
    public string $url  = 'http://lvh.me';
    public string $name = 'LocalHost';

    /** @var array<string, string> */
    public array $db = [
        'host' => 'localhost',
        'user' => 'root',
    ];
}

Reading it back

$config = new AppConfig();

$config->get('url');     // 'http://lvh.me'
$config->get('name');    // 'LocalHost'
$config->get('db.host'); // 'localhost'  (nested array → dotted path)
$config->get('db.user'); // 'root'

$config->has('URL');     // true (case-insensitive)
$config->all();          // ['url' => ..., 'name' => ..., 'db' => [...]]

Updating at runtime

A config class is not frozen. Because it shares the ConfigInterface surface, you can set and remove after construction:

$config->set('db.pass', 'secret');
$config->get('db.pass'); // 'secret'

$config->remove('db.pass');
$config->has('db.pass'); // false

What gets imported

• The property default values declared on the class are imported.
• Both public and protected properties are included — they are visible from the Classes base in the inheritance chain. A subclass's private properties are not imported.
• The internal parameterBag infrastructure property is never part of the tree.

final class WithVisibility extends Classes
{
    public string    $publicValue    = 'public';
    protected string $protectedValue = 'protected';
    private string   $privateValue   = 'private';
}

$config = new WithVisibility();

$config->get('publicValue');    // 'public'
$config->get('protectedValue'); // 'protected'
$config->has('privateValue');   // false
$config->has('parameterBag');   // false

Note: this differs from Library::setClass(), which imports public properties only. The difference is intentional: Classes inspects itself from within the hierarchy, whereas setClass() inspects an unrelated class from the outside.

How it works

Classes::__construct() reads the declared property defaults of the concrete subclass (get_class_vars(static::class)), drops the internal infrastructure property, and seeds the underlying store in dotted-path, case-insensitive mode. You do not call parent::__construct() with any arguments — just extend and declare properties.

When to use it

Use Classes when…	Reach for Library when…
Config is known at author time.	Config is loaded from files/env at runtime.
You want IDE autocompletion and types.	Sources are dynamic (directories, env).
Config is small and stable.	You compose many sources into one tree.

Related reading

• Keys & Dotted Paths — how nested arrays become dotted keys.
• Typed Config Class recipe — a fuller example.
• API Reference — the class surface.